Fred Hoiberg shares take on Nebraska's defense in final minutes of Iowa win

Nebraska had all they could handle in their Sunday road matchup against Iowa. The contest was tightly contested for much of the game. But, as the game began to draw to a close, the Cornhuskers’ defense rose to the occasion, stopping one of the best offenses in the Big Ten. Nebraska’s stingy defense down the stretch helped them pick up a much-needed 81-77 victory to end the regular season. After the game, Nebraska head coach Fred Hoiberg shared a few thoughts on his team’s late-game defense against Iowa.

“That’s hard to do, obviously,” said Hoiberg. “This team is third in the nation in offense, and they’re a tough team to shut off. Especially as confident as they were and how they had it going and, again, getting all the loose balls that they got today. So, to find a way to get stops down the stretch, you have to have it. And I thought our guys finally buckled down and got the stance and found a way to finish off possessions; that was important.”

After Iowa forward Kris Murray tied the game at 75 with 3:32 left in the game, Nebraska’s defense buckled down for the remainder of the game. The Cornhuskers were allowed just two more points, a pair of free throws by Connor McCaffrey, and that was it. In fact, Nebraska’s defense was so stingy that they did not allow a successful field goal attempt from Iowa since Murray made a layup to give the Hawkeyes a 71-70 lead with 6:12 remaining in the game.

Hoiberg gives impressions of Nebraska’s offense

On Sunday, Nebraska picked up a huge victory on the road to end their regular season. Nebraska traveled to Iowa City, IA, and defeated the Iowa Hawkeyes on their home court, 81-77. After picking up the win, Cornhuskers head coach Fred Hoiberg credited his squad’s offense while highlighting their keys to victory on the night.

“I thought our spacing was good,” said Hoiberg. “Obviously, we got off to a hot start, and that helped. Jamarques Lawrence really continues to get better every time he steps on the floor. Get more comfortable and more confident. And you see the type of player that he has the potential to be with all the great minutes that he’s given us right now as a true freshman.”

Lawrence continues to shine in his freshman season. And he’s showing an improved level of consistency and a proclivity to get the basket in the hoop. Against the Hawkeyes, Lawrence finished the game with 15 points shooting an efficient 5-8 from beyond the arc. But it wasn’t just the true freshman who had a big night offensively.

“Sam (Griesel) hit a couple of nice ones for us there in the second half. Griesel came out aggressive. Good to see him knock down a couple from the perimeter. Derrick (Walker) finally got going a little bit there, late in the game. (He) almost had a triple-double. And when the ball’s in Derrick’s hands, good things happen. We cut well. And then, C.J. (Wilcher), I thought, made some unbelievable plays for us down the stretch. A couple of great takes to the basket and a huge three for us late.”